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Enable File and Folder Compression: What is it & How it Works
The feature works with the partition that is in NTFS format
4 min. read
Updated onOctober 4, 2023
updated onOctober 4, 2023
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Reducing the size of the file or folder gives you some extra space on your PC for other important things. Weusually ZIP the fileand decompress them when needed.
But Windows OS has a new feature that facilitates enabling file and folder compression. In this guide, we will learn more about this feature and see how it works.
What is Enable File and Folder Compression feature?
Windows OS comes with a feature calledEnable File and Folder Compression, that lets you compress the file and folders and use them without decompressing them.
This feature is available within the Disk Management tool. Using the File and Folder Compression feature, a file’s redundant data, text characters in the file, etc. are removed and compressed to save space.
However, do note that since the files are compressed using theEnable File and Folder Compressionfeature, your PC will take some time to open it since it isn’t practically decompressing it.
The good thing about theEnable File and Folder Compressionfeature is that it simply allows you to compress the data, you can access everything without losing anything. This is called Lossless Compression.
What is the connection between NTFS and the Enable File and Folder Compression feature?
A lot of our readers have asked the question that what is the relation between NTFS and theEnable File and Folder Compressionfeature.
They pointed out why the file and folder compression feature isn’t visible for all the drivers or partitions on their PCs.
The answer to this question is that the Windows File Compression technique compresses a drive that is a part of theNTFS file system. Notably, theEnable File and Folder Compressionfeature uses a built-in compression feature calledNTFS compression.
So, you are actually using theNTFS compression feature which drives the data into the control unit and compresses each unit automatically and individually.
What are the ideal cases for enabling file and folder compression?
Not always you would want to use theEnable File and Folder Compressionfeature. Below are some of the best most apt scenarios where you can opt for this compression feature.
How to use Enable File and Folder Compression on Windows?
The above steps are good if you have a NTFS file system partition as the file and folder compression is available for NTFS only.
In case you have a FAT32 file system, you can first convert them into NTFS and then use the File and Folder Compression feature.
When should I not use the file compression feature?
Here are some kinds of files that you should not compress or think of compressing:
That is it from us in this guide. In case you want to compress other file formats, you can check out the list of some of thebest file compression toolsthat you can opt for on your Windows PC.
Feel free to let us know in the comments below if you understood how the file and folder compression feature works and when should you use this feature.
Sagar Naresh
Sagar is a web developer and technology journalist. Currently associated with WindowsReport and SamMobile. When not writing, he is either at the gym sweating it out or playing country music on his guitar.
He is an avid traveler and has been to 15 countries, going to more places soon. TRAVEL and WORK is his mantra for a peaceful life.
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